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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · leaves · staff · dip · date · cold · rash · sharp

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. staff — employees
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — a series
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — for a lock
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. key — in music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rash — hasty
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com